This hit home!

Literally, I live in Columbus Ohio, and know exactly what they went through. I'm a skilled professional, but it's just a matter of time before my skills and experience are obsolete and I find myself in those shoes. I continue to keep them sharp... but you can't predict progress everytime. I am definitely "the working poor" - no insurance, no savings, and only a check away from disaster. I'm a prime target for technological unemployment.

I applaud this show! I really like Spurlock and his courage and conviction to document the issues.

minimum wage

fo realz?

Who the fuck goes to the emergency room for a urinary tract infection? It's called azzo and fucking cranberry juice. And then he went to the hospital because his wrist hurt... for real? What happened with the XRAY? All that was said was that the doctors recommended he took a few days off. Did you see him lift the wheelbarrow onto the truck? There's a litany of thing in this episode that truly poor people would laugh at. Good attempt, I love the concept but they're fish out of water on this and it shows.

Good show to watch if you liked SuperSize Me

Not quite what I expected but still a good concept. Also outlines how society really is in America, not everyone's rich (it makes it look like almost nobody is). Really good idea, something nobody's really thought of. It is reality TV but not the typical type of reality TV that we watch.
On the whole, if you enjoyed SuperSize Me, I think you'll enjoy this. If you're still not sure, watch the 1st episode, if you like it, great, if not, then don't watch it.

Addicting, almost as much as fast food. Defiantly worth watching.

I didn't quite know that to expect when tuning into this show, since I dont really go for the "Reality-Based" programs. But I immediatly found myself absoluetly hooked on it. This show defiantly is worth watching, and it can be educational as well. For instance, it showed how difficult it can be for familys to live a whole week on minimum wage, and also, shows why the government should look into changing minimum wage from $5.15 to something that is not in the poverty line. To anyone ready for a fresh point of view on life, I would defiantly recommend this show. It just might make you appriciate what you have.

Thirty days when heard of the concept I found Great show this what reality tv should be a about

Thirty days when heard of the concept I found it really interesting. this first epidsode was great eye opener.How many times have you left the house and burned 20$.In this show every spare cent is important to the over all stability of the home.
The sad part about it everytime it seem that they were getting ahead something would come up and lnock them back down. Eg. the deposit to the electric company, the medical problems his niece and nephew visiting. They all seem to just chip away at their budjet

So far I'm digging the show and hope the other episode are as good as this one

This episode is a snapshot of how difficult it is for people to live off of min. wage It let's U in on the lines that need 2B drawn & debt that acrues very quickly when adults R only paid min. wage, which is way below the cost of living "adequately."

Hard-working people are being taken advantage of in the US. Alex didn't have to pay hundreds of dollars for a urinary tract infection--just mix 1 spoon of baking soda in a cup of water and drink it twice a day. But the doctors and nurses don't tell you that. Living paycheck to paycheck is no way to live. Morgan and Alex really showed that no time is left to see what the industries/companies/government/beauracracy is doing. Also, it was great that Morgan documented a comparison in paychecks with the past. I commend Morgan, and Alex for sharing the experience, for going through this in order to help the people of this country open their eyes to the hardships the working class endure just to survive with meager living.

This is an excellent series although 30 days cannot be exactly true to life because there are time constraints. Walking in the shoes of someone other than yourself is an excellent way to understand others and 30 days makes that a reality.

However, I thought it absolutely ridiculous that Erin went to the ER with her UTI. This is not true to life, I don't know anyone that would go to the ER for that. She should have waited in line at the clinic all night. They also could have got a lot more for the easter baskets at dollar tree via the grab bags. I feel that because they knew it would end after 30 days they were more frivilous with money than they would have been. Rice and beans is cheap but Ramen noodles and day old donuts is cheaper.

Good season opener.

This was an very imformative episode, for two reasons. The first reason is that, this episode will be very informative on how this season is going to turn out. If it was going to another one of those boring, documentry type of shows, i think it wouldn't of gone far. However i was wrong. This episode on minimum wage taught me alot about how some people in thie world have to live. The second reason for why i think this episode if informative, is that yes, it taught about minimum wage life in America.

Morgan got help from his now new wife in this very first episode, which made the show even more interesting. I learnt from watching this episode, that i wouldn't want to live off minimum wage... not that i did in the first place. This show is just like Morgans movie hit, Super Size Me.

An episode that shows that its "Not that kind of Reality Show"

I am happy to see a reality show that doesn't focus on the same meaningless drivel that other reality shows focus on. Its much more entertaining to see something real that you can really get behind rather than something that really has no point.

This episode focuses on the one of the biggest principles on which capitalism works so well - little pay for a lot of work. Reducing expenses works so well for big and small business a like but what does it do to those who have to experience the reality that they will never be able to get ahead in life.

One of the best things about this episode is how both people try to remain positive through the entire experience and genuinely look like they are a happy couple. Unfortunately, that probably has a lot to do with the fact that at the end of the 30 days they get to go back to their more fortunate lives.

Still, the point made is pretty clear. It is nearly impossible and completely inhumane for anyone to have to live on minimum wage.

A dose of reality for those who live sheltered lives.

Too many of us lead our lives not realizing how difficult it is for un-skilled, uneducated people to find jobs that pay well enough to make ends meet (or don\'t care). A couple issues were a bit different than how things work in my state (WA). For example, as a small business owner, we recently did a major amount of research on medical insurance and learned that those who qualify for state insurance have better coverage than anything we could purchase for our employees... a bit of food for thought as the medical expenses in the show seemed to drag the 30 days into a negative balance at the end of the month. No matter how you look at it, too many people live sheltered lives and have no idea of what it is really like to scrape to make ends meet. Perhaps an experiment on living 30 days on minimum wage should be introduced into all high school curriculum. Too many of us Americans are just all too very very spoiled in this country to realize that this IS reality for many, many people.

I almost classified this episode as appalling because it clearly shows how horrible it is to stay alive on minimum wage.

Spurlock and his girlfriend/fiance lock up all their money, put their credit cards on hold, and try to make it on minimum wage.

It's one horrible thing after another. They find jobs in one day, and it's a chronicle of how hard it is to stay alive on $5.15 an hour. Getting up at the crack of dawn, living in a hell hole in a bad part of town, finding out how Congress keeps voting against a minimum wage increase, etc.

And then Spurlock and Alex have to come up with a $110 deposit for the electric company. This is at about the same time that Alex ends up with a urinary tract infection and requires $24 or so in medicine.

And the apartment is ant-infested. And Spurlock's arm goes funny on him and that needs a trip to the hospital as well. Spurlock has to get a second job.

The most interesting scene was when Spurlock and Alex almost get into a shouting match over the spending of a couple of dollars. It's really a great little capsule scene of how hellishly unhappy it must be to be so poor on a continuous basis.

I wonder what would happen if every politician had to watch this one-hour program.

The first episode of the Morgan Spurlock show. Enjoyable and informative!

I quite enjoyed the show, wasn't really sure what to expect as I didn't know much about the guy beyond the excelent Super Size Me.

The episode basically revolved around Spurlock and his fiance living on minimum wage lifestyles for 30days. Just how real this was I dont know but it was an interesting and enjoyable show.

Not being in the US it was interesting to see how people are forced to live and how your health system works. I'm in the UK so anyone living above or below the poverty line would have absolutly no charge for visiting an emergancy room or having any medical procedure done, no insurance required so seeing a bill for over $500 to get his wrist examined was shocking.

I was suprised at the ability to find a job so quickly...I'm sure the cameras helped which takes away from the reality aspect.

The only thing I would take issue with would be taking furnature from the church people. I dont mind that they took it for the purposes of the show but it would have been nice to at least have a spoken statement of thanks and informed the viewers they gave it all back and made a donation or something.

A good show which was quite informative for me, I dont know what other subjects Spurlock will be tackeling in coming weeks but I look forward to seeing them.

Pretty good

I didn't think that I would like this show. I started watching about fifteen minutes into it. It's was pretty good. To see how little they made and how much they had to struggle was amazing. And what was more amazing was that they have money and decided to do this to show people what it's like to live on minimum wage.

Did you see her doctor bill? $300 just for walking into the emergency room. His was $500 just for walking into the room. He also was charged $40 for medical supplies. Know what that medical supply was??? It was an Ace bandage.

That is a problem in this country, when you have insurance the costs are not as bad, but it seems if you don't have insurance the charges ar MUCH higher.

This is informative and entertaining, but not really reality.

This is informative and entertaining, but not really reality. For instance, living off of minimum wage for only 30 days is real tough, but knowing you are going to be back to your rich lives soon takes a lot of the pressure off. They would have been so far in debt the next month it would have been even harder. However, you realize that there are so many people out there that are living pay check to pay check and how do they do it. Makes you realize that throwing 50 cents in a tip jar really is not a big deal to you, but really helps someone else. I have been in that position during my early twentys and know how hard it was to have to figure out where every penny was going to go. It brought back memories.

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